Government Resilience Action Plan

Debate between Pat McFadden and Desmond Swayne

Tuesday 8th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

That is a good question. It is really important that we learn from the experience of the pandemic a few years ago, but we must not fall into the trap, as I said, of assuming that the next emergency will be exactly the same. We have to be flexible in our response. The next emergency, and indeed the next pandemic, may be quite different in character from the one that we went through a few years ago.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Will the preparations take into account the lasting, disastrous consequences of lockdown, and the blithering absurdity of face coverings?

[Pat McFadden]

The preparations should take everything into account.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Desmond Swayne

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for the work that he did on public sector productivity. It was probably essential given that in the eight years between 2016 and 2024 the previous Government employed an extra 131,000 civil servants, so it is quite right that we look at the productivity for the extra employment sanctioned by the last Government.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Does the Minister have an appetite for a policy of like-for-like retaliation when a cyber-attack by a hostile state is confirmed?

[Pat McFadden]

I have both appetite and full faith in our excellent intelligence and security services, who protect us every day.